Kilcullen moves to new role at UNF

The former UNF coach moves into a position in administration.

Matt Kilcullen, relieved of his duties as North Florida's men's basketball coach on Sunday, has accepted a position in the administration of the UNF athletics department.

Kilcullen had served as the school's basketball coach for the last 10 seasons, compiling a 98-186 record. More than half of those losses came in the last four seasons, when UNF posted a 20-96 record in its transition from Division II to Division I.

"I do want to get into athletic administration," Kilcullen said on Monday. "I had a good meeting with [athletic director Lee] Moon on Sunday and a very good discussion with [UNF president] John Delaney today, and I'm excited about the opportunity to get into sports administration.

"I've been in the coaching business for 30 years. I've given my heart and soul to UNF for the last 10 years. We always tried to do things the right way with the program, but now it's time for a change. It's time to move on to another chapter of my life."

Kilcullen served as a head coach at four schools for a total of 20 seasons in his 30 years as a basketball coach. He compiled a coaching record of 219-333 in stops at Castleton State, Jacksonville University, Western Kentucky and UNF.

"I have nothing but respect for Lee and president Delaney and look forward to working with them," Kilcullen said. "The decision to make this change was a mutual decision. It was time for a change. Change is always good.

"I like all sports. I've worked in an administrative role with The Players Championship in previous years. This new job gives me an opportunity to get into the administrative end of things."

Moon welcomed Kilcullen's decision to join the department's administration. Details of exactly what Kilcullen's duties will be have yet to be spelled out.

"Matt will be very helpful to us as we complete the move to Division 1," Moon said. "He has a wealth of experience and we need to tap into that for the benefit of the entire athletics department."

Moon indicated that he would move forward to hire a replacement for Kilcullen as soon as possible. In his previous jobs as athletic director at Marshall and Wyoming, Moon hired current Florida head coach Billy Donovan and current Gators assistant coach Larry Shyatt.

"With our transition from Division II to Division I nearly complete, this is an opportunity to bring in someone with new energy to build the fan base and get us to championships," Moon said.